The Pirate and the Sea
by OliviaBe
Summary: Emma has a nightmare and is calmed by Killian. Captain Swan pairing.


Her lungs felt like they were slowly shriveling, each breath they attempted to pull from her unyielding panic burned a little bit deeper and harder than the one before. She could feel her heart high in her throat, choking off her breath; even if she could breathe she wouldn't dare. Her eyes would be streaming with tears if they were not closed so tightly against the rage of the relentless sea. It felt as though water was rushing into every open pore, desperately trying to drown her from the inside out. There was no way for her to tell where she was, she could be inches from the surface and feet from the boat or miles away and deep in the ocean.

The only thing she could see was her son. He was her belief. When all others thought of her as "the Savior" he saw who he knew she could be. He was not the only one to have faith in a lost girl but he was the only one that mattered at the moment. She jumped into the sea for her belief, she needed her beliefs more than ever. She still remembers the first time he called her 'mom' and not 'Emma'. The heart wrenching joy she experienced along with the mind melting panic, she truly was his mother and he accepted her as such. It was such an astounding concept for her to experience. She only hoped her faith would be enough.

It was supposed to be over. Davi-Dad was supposed to have rescued her by now. She knew in her heart that he should have already saved her, she should be safe and recovering. And yet, here she was. The sea had finally came to claim her, to take back those fiery emotions and deep passion and replaced with false serenities and calculating actions against those who think they can tame the sea. She will prove them wrong. They will rue the day they tried to change her and bend her to their will.

But then the hand that was scrambling madly at the sea around her found her anchor. She was rescued once again. The hand held tightly onto her own as she realized she was a human and not the beautiful, devastating sea. All who had done her harm were lucky her anchor found her and was keeping her grounded, they were safe another night. She fell asleep to the gentle sensations of her anchor rubbing soft circles on her hand with his thumb. Only a pirate would try to calm the sea.

-

Killian woke with a start to the sound of a tumultuous sea brewing one big bloody storm, only to look over and see Emma in the midst of a horrible nightmare. As they found out not long after returning to the Enchanted Forest, Emma had a very strange connection with the sea. Whenever she was especially upset, it would react in kind but for whatever reason it knew to only target men that abandoned their wives. As if Emma was the sea or at least in control it and was seeking revenge for what Baelfire did to her since she could not rightly seek revenge against the man himself buried six feet deep down as it is. Even the crocodile tried to examine the bond and was pushed away by some impenetrable force. The force of the blow nearly drained all his magic. Since then all who know have kept their mouths shut about the mysterious attacks.

Killian was afraid of what she might possibly commit tonight. They had 'officially' been together as long as she had been with Bae. Even though she knew that in reality she and Killian had been together a lot longer than that, many months in fact. No matter how gone the bastard might be (rest in peace) what he put through Emma emotionally cannot be cured with death, in fact, there is no cure. She can heal, she will heal, but the scar will always remain. Killian knew better than most but with the help of Emma (and her family) he has healed more in the past few years than he ever had in his three hundred plus years of existence. Even miles from the sea, he could already hear the deafening roar as it raged, looking for a suitable victim.

As much as Killian Jones hated cowards, he did not want Emma to kill another man for being scum because she had no way to properly vent out her anger. He knew he could not wake her with force (that had not only injured them both but flooded the castle for weeks), nor could he shout her name (she was too far gone at this point, she was more Sea than Emma), there was only one route left unexplored. He gently grasped her hand, threading their fingers together, rubbing his thumb in soothing circles over the back of her hand.

Her thrashing ceased immediately. Her body relaxed in a way that was completely human, she smiled slowly and with absolute pleasure. The sea reacted in kind; the wind died instantly, leaving only a gentle breeze. According to reports later from sailors and pirates alike none had ever seen the sea that calm, it had gently floated them to wherever they needed to go in record time. Journeys that normally took weeks were reached in a matter of hours.

The last thing Killian heard before drifting off to sleep himself was a strong, soft murmur of, "My anchor."

Only a pirate would love and accept the sea as she truly was, be it woman or will.


End file.
